Shares of Kroger are trending after an upgrade to 'Outperform' by Bernstein. The firm raised its price to $33, citing the company's restock initiative. Bernstein says "the pieces are coming together to execute the rest of Restock Kroger and to take their position as a serious omnichannel player."

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is still the world's largest retailer, by a wide margin, but it wants investors to see it as finally beating Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). Walmart stock earnings were last week, and while the numbers were good, the narrative was definitely constructed so that WMT investors came away with the impression management wanted.Source: Shutterstock Walmart reported net income of $3.8 billion, $1.33 per fully diluted share, on revenue of $123 billion for the quarter ending in April. But the number it wanted investors to see was 37%. That's how much its "eCommerce" efforts were ahead of last year.Instead of looking at the 11 cent per share beat on earnings investors might want to look instead at 3.4%. That's how much same store sales rose over the previous year. Bears might look at 1.1%. That's how much Walmart's total sales grew, as international sales declined and those at Sam's Club barely moved. Revenue was short of analyst estimates.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 6 Stocks to Buy for This Decade's Massive Megatrend The point Walmart wants to make is that its effort to overtake Amazon is succeeding.But is it? Define eCommerceWhen you drive to Walmart and a clerk brings your online order to the car, Walmart counts that as eCommerce. Fewer than half its stores today are doing grocery delivery.What Walmart is trying to do is generate headlines like this, claiming it's beating Amazon. Amazon stock is three times more valuable than Walmart stock despite having half Walmart's sales.The fact is Walmart is moving its own sales from in stores to electronic orders. It is not grabbing market share from Amazon. Walmart is grabbing market share from Walmart. You can't have a 37% increase in eCommerce and only 3.4% comps unless most of your eCommerce sales were your own sales to begin with.While Walmart focuses on Amazon, it's still getting killed by Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST), which keeps grabbing share from Sam's Club. Walmart is also losing urban market share to Aldi, the no-frills German chain that rents shopping carts, has wafer-thin margins and only stocks store brands. Still Not AmazonCEO Doug McMillon is painting Walmart's image as a family-friendly Amazon alternative, with a new headquarters campus, Fire-like tablets, growing ad sales and innovative supply deals.But Walmart remains a chain of big box retail stores. In many areas it's the replacement for downtown, and that means downtown problems, like using up public resources. Walmart also employs 1.5 million Americans, who continue to agitate publicly for better treatment.That decline in international business, by the way, includes India, where Walmart put $16 billion into Indian e-tailer Flipkart and has yet to see a return.While over half of Amazon's online sales are on behalf of third parties, meaning it takes no inventory risk, Walmart is still buying its merchandise directly, making it far more vulnerable to rising prices from China tariffs than Amazon is. The Bottom Line for Walmart StockWalmart stock has been fighting to hold $100 per share since April and had a market cap of $290 billion as of this writing. While WMT shares are up 8.7% so far in 2019, shares of Amazon are up 23.5%.When Walmart raises prices, as it will need to due to the trade war, its revenues will increase because Walmart shoppers will be paying tariffs. But that doesn't mean Walmart earnings will increase.The most important takeaway is that Walmart is not Amazon. Half its sales are from groceries. The rivals it should be focused on are Aldi, Costco and Kroger (NYSE:KR), whose stock was recently upgraded.Since becoming CEO in February 2014, Doug McMillon has delivered a 35% gain in the stock while increasing the dividend just 4 cents per share. That's behind the 53% average gain in the S&P 500. * The 7 Best Stocks to Buy From the IPO ETF Yes, Walmart is moving its sales online, but that doesn't mean it's taking down Amazon.Dana Blankenhorn is a financial and technology journalist. He is the author of a new environmental story, Bridget O'Flynn and the Bear, available now at the Amazon Kindle store. Write him at danablankenhorn@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned shares in AMZN. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 6 Stocks to Buy for This Decade's Massive Megatrend * The 7 Best Stocks to Buy From the IPO ETF * 7 Athletic Apparel Stocks With Marathon Pace Compare Brokers The post After Earnings, Walmart Still Isn't a Real Threat to Amazon appeared first on InvestorPlace.

As we saw in the April retail sales report, people continue to eat, as evidenced by the 2.1% year-over-year increase in grocery store retail sales and the 5.7% increase in food service and drinking place retail sales. It also means looking for companies that have defensive business models and enviable dividend yields. Again, people need to eat, and during periods of slowing growth, uncertainty and restrained disposable income growth, as we've seen in recent month, consumers tend to favor grocery stores over dining out.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) is back where it was in more ways than one. The Costco stock price has reached new all-time highs of late, eclipsing levels reached last September. And once again, COST stock, as impressive as it has been, looks like it might be getting too expensive.Source: Shutterstock It's a replay of where COST sat last September. As I wrote at the time, just a few sessions after those all-time highs, analysts had turned cautious on Costco stock. The earnings multiples driving the Costco price were at decade-long peaks just two weeks ahead of earnings.Those earnings would be solid, but COST stock sold off anyway. By mid-December, amid a market rout, it had lost a quarter of its value.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsIt seems unlikely that history will repeat to that extent, barring another market-wide sell-off. But COST does seem to be in a precarious position with earnings on the way next week. The reaction to the report seems likely to focus on one key metric, and the Costco stock price already is assuming quite a bit of success. * 7 Stocks to Buy for Over 20% Upside Potential Here We Go AgainThere's little question that Costco's business is one of the best in all of American industry. It's one of the few companies seemingly immune to Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), as I wrote last year. Sales growth continues to be impressive: Costco already has reported comparable sales, which included 5.4% growth in April and 6.6% through 35 weeks YTD.The question comes down to valuation. Certainly, investors so far have been rewarded for paying up for COST stock, which has tripled over the past seven years or so. But even by past standards, Costco stock is expensive, trading at 29x next year's EPS. Even historically bullish analysts haven't been able to keep up: the average target price of $250 is just a dollar above Monday's close.Again, this is pretty much exactly where COST stock sat eight months ago. And it didn't turn out well. Will this time be different? Margins and COST StockWhat will determine the answer to that question likely will be one metric: margins. Again, Costco already has disclosed same-store sales growth, so there will be little in the way of surprises on the top line. As such, it's the earnings number on which investors will focus.And margins have been a bit volatile of late. Costco beat EPS expectations by a whopping 31 cents with its Q2 report, which led COST stock higher the next day and for several weeks after. But the stock tumbled after a modest Q1 miss with analysts focusing intently on margins on the post-earnings conference call.In the current environment, that focus may only heighten. Rival Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is raising prices because of tariffs. Will Costco have to do the same? Will it be able to do the same? Or does its hyper-efficient model mean that tariff troubles at Walmart, pricing pressure at Kroger (NYSE:KR), and spending concerns at Target (NYSE:TGT) all will work to the company's advantage? Watching Costco Stock After EarningsTo be sure, it's exceedingly unlikely that the report is going to lead to a major move in Costco. Options markets at the moment price in just a 4% move between now and next Friday. Again, this is a wonderful business, and the argument will come down to valuation.But in this market, at least from a short-term standpoint, Costco does look a bit dicey. There's going to be some disruption to the company from tariffs. Walmart posted a blowout quarter and yet trades modestly below pre-earnings levels. And at nearly 30x next year's earnings, valuation may be at or near a ceiling.Longer-term, admittedly, investors still can't go wrong with Costco stock. But for even the best stocks, valuation matters. COST itself proved that back in September. And while history may not repeat, investors should remember that even a very strong quarter looks priced in.As of this writing, Vince Martin has no positions in any securities mentioned. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 7 Stocks to Buy for Over 20% Upside Potential * 5 Large-Cap Stocks Holding Steady Amid Trade War Concerns * 7 ETFs for Healthy Healthcare REITs Compare Brokers The post Costco Stock Looks Dicey Now, but Solid Over the Long Term appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Kroger Stock Up after Bernstein UpgradeThe upgradeToday, Bernstein upgraded Kroger (KR) from “market perform” to “outperform,” and it also raised its 12-month price target to $33, which represents a potential upside of 37.1% from its stock

The market has rebounded after yesterday's decline as optimism over the U.S. economy offsets the trade war news. Among the stocks trending today are The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER), and The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) . Let's take a closer look and analyze how the smart money is positioned among each stock. Our […]

CINCINNATI, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (KR) and Loop, the revolutionary circular e-commerce platform developed by TerraCycle, today announced an exclusive grocery retail partnership agreement in the United States, advancing Kroger's zero-waste vision by reducing single-use plastics in the environment. Through this partnership, Kroger and Loop will pilot the new reusable packaging system, enabling customers in select markets to purchase more than 100 products from leading consumer brands that have been redesigned with durable containers. "Our commitment to innovative solutions on our path to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste aligns perfectly with Loop's mission to create a convenient circular packaging platform for consumers," said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Full-Court Finance podcast from Zacks Investment Research where Associate Stock Strategist Ben Rains breaks down Beyond Meat, Inc. (BYND) and its recent IPO that has seen it destroy Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT).

The convenience store operator that acquired more than 750 stores from Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. last year has added 140 people at its U.S. headquarters in Cincinnati since then and has plans to move its offices to another downtown location. Meanwhile, it's growing again by recently agreeing to another acquisition.

The Kroger Co. (KR) and Lindsay Goldberg, a private investment firm that focuses on partnering with families, founders and management teams seeking to actively build their businesses, today announced the formation of PearlRock Partners, a new platform that will identify, invest in and help grow the next generation of leading consumer product brands. PearlRock Partners will be one of the largest data-driven investment vehicles focused on consumer brands. The platform will be a part of Kroger’s alternative profit streams portfolio.